[Read Author Note in Auxiliary Volume if you want]
The spring rain quietly showered upon Gue Ming Mountain.
It was late at night, the time when all were asleep.
But it was not pitch-black, for lights illuminated the great mountain.
The mountain was large and wide, with a rich touch of human civilization.
At the far end of this mountain existed a great and beautiful pavilion.
“Dear immortals from above and below!
Bless us with a genius for this generation!”
Within a room of prayer, five elders were bowing before eleven statues.
They were all dressed in white robes, holding religious pieces in their hands as they held their hands together.
They continued to pray to the heavens and the abyss, praying to the being from beyond and the great dao itself.
“Please!
Even one genius is more than enough!”
The elder’s voice had reverberated across the mountain, and the storm continued to pick up.
A dark spiral appeared within the sky, circling the pavilion, and lightning began to crackle!
Boom!
The lighting crashed through the wooden roof, tearing through everything in its path!
In a moment of blinding light, a few statues were struck, creating a mess that nearly destroyed the building.
In the aftermath, the elders who were within the room hesitantly stood up.
“That was…off.” One elder said.
“Off?
There has never been such a powerful strike before!
In all my years and the history before us, this has never happened!”
“Does this mean something?”
Another one asked.
Another of the elders approached the statues, glancing at each one.
The purpose of this ritual was to show them if there would be a genius within their village.
The prayer was nothing more than a call for a future prediction.
It would not actually bring any geniuses if there were none of this generation within the village.
The other point of this ritual was to see what their future held.
The statues on the right represented the demonic path, while the Buddhist-like statues on the left represented the righteous path.
The one in the middle was neutral.
“…I believe we must warn the sect.”
The elders turned to the one standing before the statues.
A single drop of sweat ran down his face as he looked at their prediction.
The statue at the very right of the demonic path was struck.
The statue at the very left of the righteous path was struck.
And the statue in the middle was struck.
Three people of their generation.
“Someone of our generation will tread the demonic path!?
That hasn’t appeared for 134 years!?”
“But who is it?”
“We must find them before they grow up!”
“Should we assassinate them?
They would be the safest choice, right?”
The elders argued among themselves about their next course of action when the oldest, who still stood by the statues, shouted, “Silence!”
Silence.
Taking a few steps back, he turned to the elders.
“Do not despair.
Do not forget, these predictions only mark the beginning of their path, not their entire path.
For all we know, this demonic desire may fade, and the righteous will may crumble.
Focus yourselves on changing the young.
That is the only way we can save ourselves.”
Without more to say, he clapped his hands together.
“Tell me, who do you think we should be wary of?”
The elders looked at one another, unsure of whom to suggest when one of them, the youngest of them all, had raised his hand.
“Yes?”
“Could it be the one known as Gu Xuanming?”
All the elders shot stares at the man.
They hadn’t thought of this boy, who fitted perfectly into their suspicions.
“If I recall, Gu Xuanming is a member of the Gu Clan, a family that originated from the Northern Plains, but moved into the Central Continent for reasons undisclosed to us.”
“Correct.
From what I’ve heard, he’s the mark of a genius.”
“He never cried when he was born.
He could speak at 4 months old, and walk at 5 months old.”
“He also seemed to have a high level of intelligence.
For he had managed to decipher an alchemist’s formula in about 5 days.
Although people do say he has an uncanny aura to him.”
“I’ve heard some say that he would say things that may suggest he intends to tread the demonic path, but others think he is only joking around.”
“After all, kids always say things they do not mean.
Gai Ling was one such kid.
He spoke of things only a demonic cultivator would dare say, yet he is in the Northern Plains as a righteous man.”
The elders nodded in agreement with his statement.
They understood that at face value, Gu Xuanming could indeed be treading the demonic path, but it was too soon to make any definitive conclusion.
“Who else?”
Another elder raised his hand.
“I’ve heard about Zhao Cangsheng, a member of the Zhao clan!”
“He’s shown strong promise and photographic memory as well as being able to recite poetry.
He could also be such a person.”
The oldest groomed his beard, nodding once again.
He thought about the two, believing they were indeed candidates.
However, three statues were struck, not two, and no elder came forward with any idea who the third one could be.
“Well, regardless, we must make sure this generation follows the righteous path, no matter what.
I’ve heard about that statue.”
The oldest looked at the demonic statue with the most demonic features out of all of them.
A statue jet-black, with crimson ruby eyes, sharp teeth carved into it, and demonic wings and horns.
“If what the scrolls say is true, that cultivator will become the scourge of this world.”
…
The spring rain continued to pour, and a youth stood by the window.
It was Gu Xuanming.
He remained as silent as a statue, letting the melody of dropping water fill his head.
The many buildings of Gue Ming village were about two floors high, one for the parents, while their children were given the higher floor.
He was dressed in black robes and stared into the sky.
His eyes were as dark as the abyss itself; no, they were even darker, and his expression did not change.
Tomorrow is evaluation day.
It was a day that occurred every ten years, in which young children and teens would choose to apply for the evaluation program.
This program was created for those who wished to see if they could become cultivators.
Not everyone could become a cultivator after all.
They needed natural talent, for hard work meant nothing to the heavens.
Looking towards the moon, he thought about his life up to this point.
At the same time, he blinked as the world came into his eyes.
Before him were divine strings of golden light.
They had come from the heavens, the immortals above, as their fates were being puppeteered.
This was the truth Gu Xuanming was forced to face.
Everything was dictated by fate.
The people he had spoken to, the love he could have felt, the knowledge he accumulated; it was all a subject of fate.
He was nothing before them at this moment.
Even if he wanted to cry, he could not.
He was born with a defective brain, making it hard to truly experience emotions.
In a way, the heavens would dare bless him with such eyes yet not allow him to feel anything as a result.
A sick joke they played on his life.
However, today was the day he would not allow himself to be chained anymore.
“Tomorrow shall be my rebellion.”
“Not only against the heavens, but the world, and the abyss itself.”
He had resolved himself to this conclusion over the years, with no intention of changing his mind.
To be a demon is to be merciless, a destroyer, and cruel.
He knew there was no place for such a being, not the heavens, not the abyss, not even on Blue Star.
He understood the consequences and intended to see his path to the end.
‘After all, the stars align to our path, no?
Then I shall create a path even more demonic than the demonic path, my own path!’ He sneered in his heart, clenching his fist.
Click.
Turning his head, Gu Xuanming faced his brother, Nangong Xuanhe.
One could say this boy was the opposite of him.
He was not praised as a genius, but as a retard.
He also had white hair, a contrast to Gu Xuanming’s black hair, coming from their father’s grandpa.
“Brother…” he said in a low tone.
Gu Xuanming refused to respond, merely looking at his brother with an unreadable expression.
“Mother says the building is getting cold.
She also tells me to tell you that you need to rest so you can appear proper for the evaluation tomorrow.”
Gu Xuanming looked out the window once more.
“Okay… Now leave.”
He spared no more words, closing the window by himself.
Nangong Xuanhe lowers his head, feeling small to his little brother.
The truth was, despite being older by one year, he was treated like the little brother by everyone around him.
Only his own little brother didn’t treat him like that, and that was because his brother barely spoke to him in the first place.
He left the room, biting his lip.
Gu Xuanming sat on his bed, looking back outside once more at the strings of fate that mocked him.
‘My freedom…I will claim it, no matter what!’